Travis Pittman of Wayne County, North Carolina, is the farmer who raised Gobble and Waddle, the two turkeys chosen for a presidential pardon. Their selection continues a long White House custom: the National Turkey Federation began presenting birds to presidents during Harry Truman’s administration. While earlier presidents often ate the donated birds, the modern custom of sparing a turkey is traced to George H.W. Bush, and President Kennedy is sometimes credited with an early humane gesture in 1963.
Pittman normally raises flocks of at least 19,000 birds for Butterball, one of the nation’s largest turkey producers. This year Butterball’s CEO, Jay Jandrain, serves as chairman of the National Turkey Federation. With roughly 30 million turkeys consumed across American tables each Thanksgiving, the two birds selected from Pittman’s farm stood out because of their personalities: they were notably friendlier and more curious, regularly coming up to the farmworkers first.
Pittman says his young son, Carter, helped feed and socialize the winning birds, underscoring that farming is often a family affair and a shared responsibility. He also used the selection as a reminder that agricultural workers put in long hours and often bring that work home, urging the public to appreciate the people who produce the food on our tables.